A Cutting of Hope
by Man Of Reason
Summary: Unexpected consequences may change the world!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: read and review please, I hope u like.  
  
****** = new character POV  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all characters and storylines belong to R.J.  
  
Prologue: Unexpected consequences  
  
The town of Whitebridge was almost deserted. It had begun early in the afternoon, now an immense dome of blackness stood on the horizon in the west like a giant mountain of pure black steel. A dome that seemed to suck up the light like it was an opposite too the sun, it seemed to cast a shadow across the ground and sky for miles around.  
At first it had been barely visible, a black dot in a cloudless sky and few had noticed it and those that did had though that there must be a distant forest fire, pushing it from their minds they continued on their daily routines until they turned to look again almost absentmindedly. It was easy to know who was seeing it for the second time, they looked confused at first then shock paint their faces as the blood drained away leaving them deathly pale in they afternoon sunlight. The 'dot' in the distance grew at a steady rate and at first it had peaked the interest of the whole town, people gathered in the main square where the bridge that the town took its name from, meet the ground where the clearest view of the dome could be established and watched with fearful silence.  
Bartim looked on with disgust, when people had started gathering in the square he had hoped that he would do a brisk business at his inn, The Wayfarer's Rest, but as more and more people gathered, making the square look crowded for the first time he could remember and his common room remained empty he had decided to close early for the first time in years. There was no use standing there hoping someone would come in while the whole town looked to the western skies with a fixed expression on their faces, almost identical from face to face, apprehension. The feeling seemed to pulse through the town and gained a more frantic edge the longer it remained.  
Joining the crowds Bartim had begun to feel that very same feeling, like death was coming and there was nothing he could do to stop it, only watch and hope that whatever it was it wasn't going to reach him here. And that is where his disgust came from, he might be facing death and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it, the whole town was feeling the same way.  
Standing at the front of the crowds near the famous bridge, he had thought that he was hearing a humming coming from the bridge, almost as if it was responding to whatever was happening to the west, then looking at the crowd he had change his mind, no one else seemed to notice it at all, all eyes where fixed on the growing black dome unmoving. He stood at the front and watched as it seemed to change colour from black to a black that made midnight seem a sunny day and grew to what must be at least a mile high he was sure.  
His thoughts turned sour, it was trouble he knew, there seemed to be little else these days. Dragons proclaiming themselves across the nations, the White Tower splitting in half, not that he cared much about Aei Sedai but a split would mean trouble for the world, armies clashing in Cairhien, then Illian and finally Altara. Apparently Trollocs, of all things, had attacked villages not fifty leagues from where he stood, in the west near where the black dome reared in the sky, not that he believed that one but it was clear that rebellion had started in the two rivers, he had seen the soldiers march through the town carrying a wolf head banner and a red eagle. The eagle had looked familiar like he should have recognized it but as hard as he had tried he couldn't place it. But rebellion he knew would be put down by the queen, that is if there was a queen, there where rumors that the Dragon Reborn held Caemlyn. He turned his head and spat. The world was going crazy it seemed and now trouble had found Whitebridge.  
Looking over his shoulder his movement stopped dead; stunned he looked at the once crowded square and found it near empty, looking up the road to the town gates he saw families fleeing with only a few meager possessions that they could carry. They where leaving as fast as they could manage. He looked back at the dome and saw why, as he had been lost in thought the dome had grown half again its previous size, people must be fearing that it would grow and consume the city. People where fleeing for their lives.  
Bartim considered joining them for only an instant before dismissing the idea, it was not that he considered himself brave or that he was trying to prove it to anyone, but his whole life was in Whitebridge, in his inn and he didn't have a family to worry about. Turning his head back to the growing dome he continued his silent vidual with the few that remained. Apprehension settled in again.  
  
******  
  
He sat in his room that would not have looked out of place in a palace, except that it had no windows and the fact that the grand fire place gave of now warmth despite the fire that burned there not touching the wood, silently snarling. The chosen had failed it seemed, the access key had been blazing in his head for hours, at first he had been surprised he would feel it here so far away, been shocked at the amount of power the sa'angreal could hold and the fact that al'Thor was using twice what he felt for his deed. Then the shock faded away replaced by rage as his mind found the place in the world that al'Thor was using the access key and his plan became obvious, it was a brilliant plan though filled with risks that would have made it unacceptable to anyone who knew what they where doing. Ever since Cyndene had told him that al'Thor had the access ter'angreal, both of them, and his intended plan he had wondered how a primitive mind would conceive to remove the Great lord's shadow from saidin and this was a surprise even to him. It was a plan that had a chance of working!  
His hand picked the fisher piece off the sah'rah board, black and white, blindfolded and bleeding, yet somehow had survived a flow of the power so huge over such a long period that simple physical exertion should have killed him hours ago, and still it shone in his head, torrents undreamed off in his own age, the greatest ever known, he was willing to bet that not even the creators of the choedan kal had thought so much could have been drawn.  
Again he felt for the access key that might as well have been an arrow straight to al'Thor, an untrained fool who was about to complete the impossible, he might still die before the job was done, if he was lucky, but luck was a one thing that was never on his side when Lews Therin was involved. He felt where the access key was in the world and this time his rage peeked, the true power rushed into him in a addictive torrent that caused the saa to flash across his eyes faster than normal and lashed out without thought, an impossibly handsome servant women with the deepest green eyes shuddered as she died, but he barely noticed, the key was at Aridhol, Shadar Logoth as it was now known, a creation of his making in the Trolloc Wars two thousand years ago, at first it had seemed the easiest way to get rid of the second most powerful nation left in the land after Manetherin feel into oblivion, become as dark as the shadow, it's the only way to win. And his plan had worked, the city destroyed itself from within without a single finger been raised by his Trolloc armies, as they ravaged the rest of the nations, as black as the shadow. He hadn't counted on the creation that ate the city to survive after the last inhabitant was consumed by it's presence, the evil survived, a new evil that wasn't a creation of the Great lord, a shadow not of his making or under his control but a new, third party in the never ending struggle between his master and the dragon and one just as dangerous to his masters eventual victory as the presence of the dragon was. Well the presence of a dragon that knew what he was doing in any event.  
Looking down at the Fisher piece in his hand, ice calm replaced his rage in an instant, surely al'Thor was getting close to finishing what the greatest minds of his age had deemed impossible, but it wasn't a complete lose for the Great Lord. Although his greatest achievement of the current age would be removed, so would a threat that had been lurking since its accidental creation, one that both he and the pathetic girls that called themselves Aei Sedai had been trying to contain for centuries, for they both knew that if that evil got loose it would spread like a plague throughout the world leaving nothing for the great lord to rule or these so- called Aei Sedai to control.  
His eyes had not left the fisher piece, black and white, it worked as both and so did al'Thor at the present, those blind fools would call it a resounding victory for the light once the knew and believed, thinking of Mesaana he reassessed that though, if they ever truly believed. But it would also remove a threat that the great lord would have had to deal with once he was free, a threat that he wasn't sure he would have been able to deal with if it grew to large, he realized he was laughing but didn't bother to try and stop himself, black and white, in all things perhaps, but as in the game the piece could be used by both sides, and it was also true with al'Thor. The only problem for the light was that he had no opponent and he was a master of the game, he laughed till he cried but didn't care, al'Thor would serve the Great Lord whether he knew it or not.  
Abruptly as it had started the torrent cut off without any warning or lessening of the power, and his laughter died as quickly as the hiss of his indrawn breath filled the chamber. It was over, but that wasn't what concerned him at all though, the way the power ended abruptly, one second there, one second not, exactly as if al'Thor had finally burned himself out, lost control of the power and it killed him. But that thought only lasted an instant, he was sure he would know if the fool managed to somehow get himself killed, no he was alive and he had to believe well, for he had once, painfully, found out just how dangerous underestimating al'Thor could be. Now the best that could be hoped for was that one or both of the access ter'angreal had sacrificed itself so the users wouldn't be harmed. After all that is how all sa'angreal and angreal had been designed to function in his age, and these particular ter'angreal would have been made the same way as well, most defiantly.  
The chamber began to shake, violently, and the increasing temperature had nothing to do with the fire place, although he had told the Great Lord of this threat as soon as he knew of it and had been ordered to stop it if possible but not to put himself in danger, for he was needed later, the Great Lords anger was to be expected, his chosen had failed him again, he had reason to be furious. The slow building rumbling and heat stopped suddenly and Moridin got the impression that the Great Lord was ... Listening? As strange as that felt Moridin also decided to open himself up to the natural order of things where one could sense even minute changes to the pattern as the threads shifted, his teachers had called him a natural and they where right, for this ability was rare even in his age and was unheard of now, it was in fact how he was the first to be able to determine what Mierin had done at Collam Daan, the first to sense the power that had been unleashed, the first to come into the Great Lords service. He opened himself up now as he did then searching for something, anything that the great lord would pay attention to.  
At first he found nothing, even began to think he had made a mistake of feeling what the great lord was doing, just felt the normal movement of the pattern with new normal ripples and weavings been woven all the time, nothing strange then he saw it or rather felt it. It was as if a thread was been laid across the pattern from ages past to the present, he had expected something like this, had even been surprised that it had not occurred earlier but the fact that it was happening now gave him great cause for concern, because there could only be one reason it would be happening now.  
This was a threat that he had though he had destroyed with the Trolloc Wars, where his armies had destroyed almost everything that remained from his age, but he had been mistaken, this was something that could destroy all his well laid plans, normally rage would have consumed him at this point but not now, not now, he had to know. Opening up again he followed the thread as it came ever closer until finally, it integrated itself into the pattern at its furthermost point and its end taken up by the wheel and woven in seamlessly as if it had always been. The Ground shook about him and the temperature rose as the wail of rage from the mountain not far away bellowed out into the world. Moridin vaguely noted that he was in danger of been killed either by has chamber caving in or been roasted to death, but he no longer feared death and it was just a minor thought in his mind, flashing across the edges of his consciousness, he was ice calm inside. He knew what must be done, hoped it would be enough. Snarling he strode out of his room barely noticing the destruction left in his wake or the saa flying across his vision.  
  
*****  
  
Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan, the Amyrlin Seat, stood on her balcony alone after what had seemed like hours, come to think of it it had been hours, and stared into the western sky. She could have pointed to the stop where she was looking with her eyes closed. Somewhere in that very direction a women was channeling saidar in amounts undreamed of, amounts that at the beginning of the day, would have been ridiculous to even think off. She was sure that a whole white tower, a combined white tower using every angreal and sa'angreal, calling every sister back from retirement and from punishment, could not have handled a half so much of that torrent, perhaps not even a third.  
It was ridiculous to contemplate but she couldn't stop herself and she was sure that every women in the tower, those rebels outside of Tar Valon and any Aes Sedai anywhere in the world would be contemplating, if that lone channeling female forsaken, and it had to be one of the forsaken for no Aes Sedai knew what could be possibly causing that blazing beacon that had been in her head for hours, if she came against the tower now, could anyone survive? At all?  
Elaida's glare should have burned holes in that far off forest on the horizon. She shook visibly with rage, she was sure it was rage, not fear, defiantly not fear! It had begun as a normal day, well not so normal, almost two weeks ago Alviarin had disappeared as soon as the rebels had all of a sudden appeared at the tower walls, impossible she knew, but looking down she could she them there, milling around like so many ants. Then the news came that Elaida had feared, both pieces at once, both that she had thought would get her stilled, news of the disaster of the attempted kidnapping of Rand al'Thor, and they had blamed Coiren. No one even though of blaming her, she was not in control of bringing al'Thor here, how could the blame land at her feat? Then news came of the black tower not two days ago, news of numbers that had shocked every woman in the tower, some had fainted and needed to be carried to their rooms, some where visible sick, and fear painted as many faces as disgust did. She saw more then one red look a little green. What sister could think of that so-called "Black Tower" without disgust and at least a little fear? And then people thought of Toveine, and then the most remarkable thing happened, twice in two days it seemed, no one even looked at Elaida, Toveine must have had the sense to learn of there numbers before she attacked. Right? Elaida certainly hoped so, but deep down a worry that would not go away whenever she thought of Toveine gnawed at her, a worry she could not shake. She knew they where lost to her. Probably dead.  
For all of Alviarin threats it had come to nothing. Nothing! Elaida fumed, when she got her hands on Alviarin she would roe the day that her mother let her father steal that first kiss. What she had suffered, Alviarin would suffer ten fold! She considered exile, but irritably forced that thought from her mind, she wanted the women stilled, sentenced and stilled, by tower law, for that she could wait till her hunter found it's pray, for that she could.  
Today Elaida had felt better than she had in months, for today was the first time that she had been in control of the tower almost since she had become Amyrlin. She had summoned the hall in the morning and had had them remove Alviarvin from the keepers stole. It was almost pitiful the joy that she had felt when she had gained the greater consensus, making it an anonymous decree. She was in control. The hall was about to adjourn when it had started.  
Panic had grip the tower all the way up to the hall. Everyone had been stunned to silence, then all turned slowly to stare through the walls at the exact point she was looking now, and she shivered again and it had nothing to do with the wind. Frantic cries had filled the Hall of the tower, calls for the tower to be evacuated as panic women who should have known better ran for the doors. Somehow amid the chaos she had managed to keep a cool head. Arguing that there was no way to run from that, she issued orders for everyone to stay in there rooms until the danger passed. When the words left her mouth she though many in the hall would protest, and she knew that it was a defining moment, knew that if the hall had ignored her it might mean the end of her career as an Amyrlin that ruled the hall, not the other way around.  
Luckily some had regained some sense and stop acting like frightened children and realized that it was all they could do. The hall had followed and the orders where given. It was a great triumph, the hall bowing to the Amyrlin and then as she walked back to her rooms her mood had soured terribly. She found herself wishing Rand al'Thor was here, in the tower, not so the world was safe from him, but so the White tower would be safer from that! Safer from what she was looking at in the west. She almost thought that she should be able to see the glow of saidar that must be surrounding the women who channeled it, like a second sun rise.  
Turning from the window she strolled to the wine pitcher sitting on the table and poured herself a cup. Bringing the cup to her mouth she frowned down at the spilt wine, now why did her hand shake so badly? She would have to send for one of the serven-.  
Her mind seemed to skip a beat, after hours of its continuous presence the beacon in her head had disappeared, as if snapped from existence. The wine cup fell from her hand making a dull thud on the floor. She turned to stare at where it had been. What had happened? Surely something horrible, something that is beginning to destroy the world, there must be something happening! But as hard as she looked and felt she could fill nothing. Nothing at all!  
As it always did the foretelling took her unawares, by complete surprise and she heard herself muttering in a terrified voice. "This I foretell, the dragon sleeps and the healer queen slumbers. The Guardian released from ancient dream, the wound of madness healed and a cutting of hope given, as prophecy demanded. The faithful servant returns the sight to the fisher kings eyes, showing him his ancient might. Which servant will it be that brings Tar Valon to its knees? Which soldier will it be will it be, untainted by the shadow, that burns for revenge now free"?  
Elaida didn't remember falling but she found herself on her knees, shaking, Aes Sedai serenity completely absent from her face. She didn't bother trying to stand, she crawled to the pitcher, didn't bother with a cup, she drank straight away. The words seemed to bang around in her head getting ever louder until she was forced to listen again, "will bring Tar Valon to its knees". No matter how much she drank the words seemed to haunt her. "No one will hear of this, no one." She muttered defiantly to the empty room. There had to be some explanation, something she was missing, she just wasn't thinking clearly that was all. She knew all she had to do was think. Light, why did that sound like I was trying to convince myself? Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan, the Amyrlin Seat, sat on the floor of her apartments almost on the verge of crying. Light how can the white tower be stronger than ever but be brought to its knees? They contradicted each other, it could not be, foretellings never lied, but she couldn't see how these two could be about the same world. THEY COULD NOT BE! It was a shout in her own mind. All she had to was sit there and think, that was all. That was all! Why could she not stop shaking?  
  
******  
  
Bartim once again considered leaving, it had become a more frequent though that he was having, he had been standing at the edge of the river for hours and looking around he saw only a handful of people that had remained with him and none he knew. The dome, he would call it black but that word no longer seemed to do it justice, had grown constantly and now he was willing to bet that it stood two and a half miles in the sky and had not seemed to be slowing in the rate it grew. He thought it would be foolish to run now, if something was going to happen he was sure that he could not out run that! Sure that if he had left earlier it would still have killed him. He felt like laughing but felt hollow inside, like a man awaiting the headsmen, only he knew he was innocent but there was nothing he could do to sto-.  
He was ripped out of his thoughts, for the first time the surface of the immense dome seemed to move it...withered. There was no other word to describe it and he was sure that now was the time, now the doom that had been going to happen for hours was about to unfold and consume him entirely. He stood ready to embrace his fate as if he was routed in the stone, unable to move and for the second time in the space of a heart beat he was stunned to unmoving silence. The doom had clasped in on itself, in the space of a heart beat, the terror that he had been sure would be his death just disappeared down to a dot, to a pin prick, to nothing. And from the distance a dull roar filled the sky as if distant thunder reached their ears after a lighting strike.  
Oddly the thunder awoke those standing at the river bank, he heard himself laughing and embraced the act, he looked up at the dusk sky and shouted a wordless shout, the danger had passed he knew, he through his arms up as if to embrace the sky. Looking around he noticed that everyone doing something similar, they all had the look of men who had escaped a headsmen axe that they had though was already falling.  
A heavy set man to his side with dark hair and a moustache that clung to the sides of his mouth laughed and Bartim noticed more than a few teeth where missing. The man reached over and embraced him shouting into the sky, "it's done, what ever it was, it's done and where alive, beautifully alive". Bartim understood entirely and joined in his laughter.  
  
Abruptly the ground underneath their feet started shaking. A cry of despair filled the air and he was shocked to find that it came from his own throat and even more surprised to learn that it was joined to cries coming from everyone that remained.  
The heavy set man was clutching on for dear life now and began shouting, "it is coming, it is beyond our vision, but it do be coming we all feel it, there be nothing we can do, oh light!" A slim young man to his right, with eyes as wide as teacups, rose a visibly shaking to point at the bridge, "lo-l-look" he stammered, "a-at the b-bridge, at the highest p-point, something is happening" his voice gained volume the longer he talked until the last was a shout.  
Everyone turned to look where the young man pointed and there at the apex of the bridge, the bridge that the town took its name, the bridge that many said was from the Age of Legends, was a light that began shining coming from inside the bridge that looked like glass, making it vibrate visibly. At once he realized that the humming he though he heard earlier had grown to such a level that it was about all he could hear. Vaguely somewhere in the back of his mind he made the connection, as the light increased, so did the vibrations, and the ground shock harder, in tune he though.  
A black dome rearing in the sky leagues away was one thing, a bridge from the Age of Legends doing what it should not do, and seeming to start to tear the town apart was quite another. All the remaining man turned and ran towards Caemlyn as hard as they could, he didn't intend to stop until he dropped over from exhaustion.  
  
.....If any had stayed they had they would have witnessed an event that would define the age in which they lived, they would have seen they light grow at the apex of the bridge, would have seen the bridge consume itself from the sides, as if it was disintegrating into nothing, all the way up to the shinning light at it's highest point, would have seen the bridge fall away into nothing to reveal something that seemed to be a box, hanging unsupported where the apex of the bridge had once been, would have seen the box like structure open, and would have seen what fell out, landing ungraciously in the water and would have seen the box destroy itself as the bridge had and finally see the light disappear. They would have looked down and seen the body floating in the gentle flowing waters of the Arinelle, as if unconscious but face up so it would not drown, Floating south towards the Manetherendrelle. If they ever learned what had happened that day, both at the bridge and to the west, they would have been reminded of a saying they heard once, "Men plot and women scheme but the wheel weaves as the wheel wills".......  
  
A/N: I hope it wasn't to long, and I hope the Characters where in Character at least. Hope u liked it, what will happen next I wonder? ;) 


	2. The Awakening

A/N: read and review please, I hope u like the story's about to get going really well this though the next chapter will be hardest to write I think.  
  
****** = change of focus  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all characters and storylines belong to R.J.  
  
Chapter one: The Awakening  
  
Distantly he was aware of the sound of rushing water, the feel of a tugging at his feet and the soft ground giving way underneath him as he moved. It was as if it was coming from a distant place, happening to another body while he slept. A body that he knew he must return to but had no wish to do so at the moment. The world was full of horrors, he knew, and the feel of blissful ignorance for the moment had enraptured him so much so that he fought it every step of the way. He knew that his body was waking around him and he in turn struggled to maintain his subconscious state.  
Against all his wishes his mind began to operate faster, than faster still, as if giving him away to his enemies, betraying him of his own will, the soul fighting the mind and the body supporting both regardless. Dizzyingly all three crashed together on a conscious level. Soul, mind and body took a collective gasp and his lungs screamed in protested at the sudden unwelcome impact. His eyes fluttered open and slammed shut again instantly, pain seared through his eyes into his brain. The sun was directly at its apex high in the midday sky. It was not a strong sun like the middle of summer, in fact it was as if it was the middle of winter but his eyes, so used to darkness cold not stand even a little direct light straight away.  
A breeze stirred blowing gently across him, a normal man would have shivered but he did not let the cold touch him, that didn't mean he took no notice of how cold it was. He knew the feeling well, for where he had grown up winter was just like this, it got warmer as the season lengthened and spring drew near but winter always seemed to struggle to maintain its hold on the land, and its claws could be felt most acutely in the wind, raking the heat from an unwary body.  
Pulling himself into a sitting position and bringing his right hand to cover his eyes from the sun, he allowed his eyes to open and survey the surrounding countryside. It took a few seconds for his eyes to focus in the still hurtful light but slowly his vision returned. He was at the edge of a river, at a bend in its gentle flowing streams, upon its sandy banks. With a start he realized that his legs where still in the water and realized that the flowing water was what had been tugging at his legs when he was in his subconscious fight. Removing his legs from the stream and scrambling back from the waters edge so that he was sitting completely on dry ground he continued his observations. He was in the middle of wide open country on both sides of the river all he could see where open grass lands sparsely populated by trees. On the horizon to the west he could see the outlines of mountains, though none he had ever seen before, and in every other direction was just unbroken sky, with the odd cloud breaking its blue splendor. It was like waking from a drunken stupor with no hangover and also no idea where he was. Even the trees looked odd in a way he didn't understand and there was something else, a feeling of something missing though he couldn't say what, it niggled at the back of his head and every time he turned to look it seemed to disappear, vanish leaving an aftermath that he didn't recognize at all.  
Standing required using muscles that stiffened in protest, almost into cramps all over his legs, the feeling was as unusual to him as his surroundings, and he had never been here before. Although most countryside's looked the same, and he had seen a lot of empty country in the last ten years he was sure he had never been here. Thinking of the last ten years made unwanted memories rise to the surface, as if visions rose from buried graves, he turned his head to the side, as if doing so could make the images of death and destruction vanish, the images of chaos and desperation suddenly disappear. Abruptly, like a fist striking his face, he realized what was missing. And he was almost knocked over in surprise. It was Death and fear. For ten years he had lived around death, it had filled the very air with its stench until he had taken it as part of everyday life, taken it for granted that it was going to be there no matter what he did, it had almost become comforting in a strange sort of way, as long as you could smell death you where not dead. Accompanying death had always been fear, everywhere he went there was fear, it pulsed in the very air until one could almost touch it.  
Both where missing from this place, an absence that put him on edge and made a feeling rise in his stomach that he remembered from his childhood, pure joy. No death or fear, it was as he remembered from his earliest childhood memories before the shadow had begun to make itself know and it made him laugh with delight, he through back his head, raised his arms and shouted to the sky in the most joy filled voice he ever remembered using, "we won, after all those disparate years, those years that it seemed it would never end, not with victory, we won, WE WON." His laughter took control but he continued, "Thank the Light, thank the Creator, and thank the DRAGON!"  
He didn't remember falling to his knees but he didn't care, he was laughing so much in pure joy that he had started crying. Bringing his hands to his face to scrub away stray tears he froze, his mirth froze and he remembered. On his left hand where five black rings, one on each finger. It was at those that he stared for they where the key to his memory, it grew until it enveloped him, until he was forced to relive it, he did not want to but there was nothing he could do, it came.  
  
******  
  
Knocking on the redwood door he shifted nervously, he couldn't help but to be nervous, it was just a few hours until the attack. An attack that was more than a little risky and it would decide the fate of the world, for better or worse by this time tomorrow the war will have been decided with either the light or the shadow decapitated at the head. He shivered at the thought, either the bore will have been closed and the dark one sealed away again or Lews Therin would be dead and most of the hundred companions with him, most of his brothers, dead. Lews Therin believed that this was the last hope of the light, they could not afford to sit and wait for the access ter'angreal to be recovered because by the time they where the war would be over and no Aes Sedai would be left alive to use them.  
He was right, their armies would not hold out much longer, weeks at most. The light burn Latra Posae Decome and her 'fateful concord'. They would need those bloody women in a few hours, without them it was going to be a hundred times harder, with much more risk of something going wrong. Form the other side of the door came a solemn "come". Taking a deep breath, he entered.  
The room was large though sparsely decorated with just the bare essentials needed to receive guests and look over reports that where scattered across the large desk that would have dominated the room if not for the man that sat on the only chair behind it. He was a large man, strongly built and tall when standing, he had a face that constantly bore the strain of worry, the look of someone not liking what they knew and unable to change it no matter how hard he tried, hair gray before his time and brown eyes deep sunken in his face as if retreating from what they had seen, regarded him with a determined look of a man about to do something that he knew the other would not like.  
"My lord Tamyrlin, you summoned me?" he said as he gave a little bow.  
  
Lews Therin regarded him silently as he straightened then nodded his head slightly as if finally agreeing with what he had been planning. "Ethan, there is no need for formalities and you know it. You have been a faithful friend to me over these long years and have saved my life more times than I care to remember. Now be at ease, please."  
  
Relaxing his stance he regarded the Tamyrlin of the Aes Sedai with the true familiarity that the men shared with each other. "Lews, there is no need to bring that up. It was my job as head of your bodyguard, what else could I do, besides" he added with a rueful grin, "if you died I would have had to face Ilyena, I would rather face the dark one by myself than that!"  
  
Laughing silently Lews nodded his head in agreement. "I can imagine your fear, it must make you sweat at nights, the though of me dying." His mirth faded and was replaced again with the determined that had been their earlier. "Now as to why I summoned you, I have a task for you in the coming raid. It is very important to me and to the world that you complete this task to the best of your abilities"  
  
"What is it you wish of me, Lews, I will do it as best I can, anything to help and ensure the success of the attack!" all laughter was forgotten, this had become deadly serious very quickly. Lews never got straight to the point unless he was dreading what he was about to say.  
  
"Ethan, the task I have for you," he paused and took a deep breath lowering his gaze so not to meet his eyes, "the task, the task is to stay here, you are not to come with the rest of the companions to Shayol Ghul, you are to stay here with a group of our brothers that will not be coming with us."  
  
Fury raged so hard throughout his body that he had to assume the oneness to control himself, when he spoke his voice was as flat as the floor tiles. "You cannot do this to me Lews I have been by your side for ten years fighting the shadow, I have been one of your most loyal and devoted supporters no matter what anyone else though, I was one of the first to join the companions, now I know I my still be considered young but I am more experienced then half the others put TOGETHER!" he didn't mean it to come out as a shout, visibly calming himself he continued. "I know you must fear for Ilyena but surely someone else can stay and look after her. I would be much more usefu..."  
  
"ENOUGH", the command pushed home by the sound of Lews Therin's hand slamming into the table. "Ethan I do not do this to slight you or dishonor you or even because of Ilyena. I do this because the task is not to sit and guard my family for me but because I'm worried, worried that I might not succeed in what I'm about to do that even if I succeed something terrible might happen, I don't know what but who knows what the dark one is capable of? All I know is what I'm about to attempt has a very good chance of having some very nasty unexpected consequences that we might not survive."  
  
"All the more reason for me to come along, with me there we have a greater chance of success, a better chance of nothing going wrong, a muc......"  
  
"NO, no Ethan. Shut up and listen. We have more than enough people ready to go, over one hundred of the companions and thirty thousand soldiers, what we need to do won't take long and there are better people than you at placing the seals, your talents are elsewhere. My orders for you are to sit in the cellar with the men I have chosen, if I return then you are to come out and join in the celebrations but if the men that will be stationed in the palace hear of anything strange, anything at all wrong then my orders are for you to be placed into the stasis-box with warding to be placed around the box so that it will only open when the danger has passed. The box will be moved to a safe place, where it will wait until it is able to open. These are my orders and I will enforce them if I have to."  
  
"There is no way to talk you out of this is there," he muttered resigned to defeat, Lews Therin nodded his head making him sight, "why me?" asking was just so he could hear it from Lews, he already knew the answer.  
  
"Knowledge must be preserved and whatever happens it must survive. The knowledge of channeling cannot be written so it must be passed from person to person, can you imagine what would happen if something happened that killed every Aes Sedai but left those with the spark that would start to channel again, they would have no one to instruct them, no one to teach them, how many would die? How much would be lost? I have sent to the females for someone like you but they have denied my request, I have chosen you for this task because you fit what is needed much better than anyone else. You are very young, so you will live a very long time when you are released, you will have many years to gather those you can find and start teaching them, or just join back into the established Aes Sedai if it still survives and restart your life as you have no family." He took a deep breath and continued. "You are a very rare channeler, very strong in every power except water and you are almost as strong as me. Your talents lay in very rare areas, areas that are not likely to be so common in a world where no male channeled has been taught properly. It is very likely that delving would have been lost and your strength in earth makes this an easy talent for you, making mining simple, you are one of the best healers still alive and although this is one of the most basic talents the complexity of the major healing weaves makes it a talent that will be half lost at best! But most importantly your understanding of the power is much better than almost everyone if not everyone is why I need you, you designed the Choedan Kal. No one ever though of using access ter'angreal before, there is a genius there, that ability will be needed, the ability of making all type of angreal for it will surely be lost, it is rare even now."  
  
He bowed his head in resignation, he knew when he was defeated, Lews argument all made sense for he was the best candidate. He had been told many times in his career how rare he was and he remembered the shocked faces in the hall of the servants when he announced that he wanted to become a carpenter rather then the politician they all had thought he would be since when he was found to be able to channel at the age of sixteen. "I will do it but I don't have to like it!"  
  
********  
  
The memory faded away and others tried to replace it, memories of Lews Therin describing what he would envision if he could start they Aes Sedai again, of him trying to give his rings to Lews Therin and Lews refusing, of sitting in the dark room with some of the other man while they waited, all nervous, all waiting and then sitting there staring at a wall when one of the man stood up and embraced saidin, he had taken two steps before throwing up then telling the rest of us what was wrong. We all embraced saidin and we all had thrown up even though we where expecting what we felt, it was horrible and then they had all turned to look at him before forcing him into the box. He shivered at the memory, at what he had felt, the ....anomaly on the source he had had no time to think on what it was, to him it felt like it was barely a few hours ago, time did not pass in a stasis-box. Idly he wondered how long had passed outside the box.  
Tentatively he reached for the male half of the one power, he reached for saidin. He grabbed hold and life filled him, pure saidin rushed into him, filled him near to bursting, he strained to feel it all, to see if anything still remained. Letting out a breath he had not realized he was holding he sighed and closed his eyes saying a silent pray to the creator, it was gone, the anomaly was gone. What had removed it?  
Relief washed through him so strong that he felt it inside the void, the warding had worked as it should have. Words began floating to the surface inside the void, words he couldn't suppress, his orders from the tamyrlin boomed inside his head. "Gather those you can find and start teaching them, or just join back into the established Aes Sedai if it still survives." He had his orders. Turning back to the spot beside the river where he had awoke from his sleep he reasoned that his subconscious had taken enough note of his surroundings in that area to be able to make a gateway. Stepping up to the spot he wove a gateway to the traveling grounds at the hall of the servants in Paaran Disen, capital city of the Light. Readying himself to confront the hall, confront his sisters that had turned on Lews Therin at the last moment. Confront a city that may not be the same as he rememb-.  
The gateway spiraled open and nothing could have prepared him for what he saw, nothing. Of the largest city on the world, capital seat of the government and the Aes Sedai, crown jewel of the world, there was no sign, nothing. Through the gateway a vast ocean could be seen to the horizon in all directions water rolled and tossed and splashed in on itself. It was the middle of an ocean. Eyes wide all he could do was stare and mutter "oh my creator, oh my creator" over and over again. He closed the gateway and released saidin, trying to dispel the image from his mind. What could have done that? What could turn the greatest city in the world into the middle of the ocean?  
Deep down in his bones the answer came to him, he knew. He didn't know how it could be possible but he knew. It was the anomaly that caused it, it was the only thing that had been different, it had to be it. It wasn't logical to be so positive without been told or finding more evidence but he was sure. Again the words came to him "gather those you can find and start teaching them." He was sure that he would have to find them, if the greatest city in the world was an ocean, surely nothing of the Aes Sedai survived. He needed answers and he needed them now. Embracing saidin again he reached out with the power and felt for life. There was abundant life hidden in the sparse forest all around him but that was not the type of life he was looking for, he was looking for human life. He extended his weave as far as it would go, inverting it at the same time for safety. To the west there where small centers of human activity that had to have been small towns, to the north and south he could only feel limited amounts of human life forms but to the west he found what he was looking for. Close to him there was a large amount of human activity about half moving away from him and the other back towards him, as if they where birds that had all been startled into flight and some where still running but others where returning to their tree. Almost straight west there where densely populated towns at regular intervals until at the very most edge of his sense's he found what he was looking for. A city that must support a population of at least one hundred thousand, perhaps even double that. Not a large city by any means but still the largest he could feel in any direction, he would find his answers there. He was sure of it.  
Again the words entered his head, "gather those you can find and start teaching them." Aes Sedai Ethan Quillus Farvian had a job to do. He opened a gateway and stepped through; in the distance he could see a walled city that was sparsely surrounded by what had to be soldiers from the look of them. He found himself standing at the edge of a forest. Hidden by trees it was hardly surprising that no one noticed his arrival, all their attention seemed to be focused on the city anyway.  
Distantly he noticed the breeze had stirred the banners that hung from every tower within the city, a rearing white lion on a field of red. He did not know where he was, he didn't recognize the banner but he knew his answers where in that city. Dressed in only his silver robe and sandals he took his first step forward, toward the closed city gates, Apprehensive of what he might find. Whatever he found he would carry out the dragons wishes. Glancing down at his left hand and the rings, nothing short of death would stop him. 


	3. unwelcome vistitors

A/N: read and review please, I hope u like. I do like writing long stories, gives them body I think. Anyways just go with me on the language thing, it saved a lot of time doing it that way and it wasn't important to the story.  
  
****** = new character POV  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all characters and storylines belong to R.J.  
  
Chapter 2: Unwelcome visitors.  
  
Ethan stepped out from behind the last line of trees and started towards the main gates of the city. The answers too many questions waited within, answers that would shape his life more than anything else has done so far. Grimly he thought of his life, it looked so small, as though nothing mattered anymore. After passing the test to become Aes Sedai at the early age of sixteen, that had seemed the greatest thing that would ever happen to him. As the fabric of society had crumbled around the world, the Aes Sedai maintained a peace within their ranks, his training had carried on regardless and still he thought that completing his training would be the panicle that the rest of his life surrounded. As if to slight him, he was named Aes Sedai mere days before the first Trolloc army made itself known in the world and the War of the Power began. The though came that then his thinking had changed again, defeating the shadow was the most important accomplishment that he would achieve.  
A rueful laugh escaped his lips, strange how we always believe the future greater than the past. But then he was only thirty, and in terms of how long Aes Sedai lived, he was still a child. Most of his life was still ahead of him, around six hundred years if he died a natural death. The slowing had taken him early, at thirty he looked no older than nineteen and could still not shave properly, oh how he hated that. Child indeed.  
Walking towards the city with a purposeful stride fueled by anger he barely noticed people in the camps surrounding the city pointing towards him. Always something new, something important he just had to do, that needed to be done. Having fought a war for the last ten years to ensure humanities freedom was not enough. Now he had a new life accomplishment to achieve, and this one would take much longer than the war of the power if he had to start from scratch as he feared he would have to do. All he wanted was to live a quiet life away from the public eye with no responsibilities other than what he chose and to do the things that he loved above all else, studying human nature in all its forms, past, present and future and the simple pleasure of creating things of beauty with his hands.  
Sighing he forced the anger down, it would do him no good to complain about what he had to do. Most good men in power where only there because they had to 'do what had to be done'. Lews Therin was one such man, he spoke often of his life's plan's once the war was over, to return to his boyhood home with his family and live a quiet life as just another Aes Sedai doing what he could to serve the people. He had said often that he was only leading the war effort because he believed that he was the best man for the job. He had proved that statement right many times.  
There was a lot of movement in the camp nearest to him, a group of men going for a ride? On the wall that was no more than five minutes walk away someone was waving frantically trying to get someone's attention. Lost in his own thoughts, Feeling shame for being fanciful, he chided himself, why waste time thinking about the impossible, you where never going to run from your responsibilities, you're a fool for even thinking that way, perhaps you are no more than the child people see you as! No, he answered himself, I was never going to run but everyone is allowed to get disgruntle at some point. Dimly he wondered if he was going mad.  
Abruptly he came back to himself, something was wrong. The man on the wall was staring directly at him, both arms above his head moving so fast they seemed to blur. The men in the camps now on horse back still someway of riding towards him. What are they doing? What could they possibly be doi- .  
The answer came to him leavings his mind feeling like a struck gong, what would a siege be like if there was no one power to open gateways directly into cities? Looking around, at the camps, at the high walls and the armed men on them, he had his answer. The sound of hooves came dimly to his ears. The horsemen, twenty now that he took notice, were cantering towards him at a pace that he couldn't outrun.  
Saidin poured into him, like too much water been forced into a too small cup, and he smiled. The men on horseback stood no chance, no one would stop him form getting his answers. The flows formed that he needed without thought, so natural they where to him now, disturbingly natural. Thin cords of fire and air wove into a web that looked like a expanding wave of water rushed out towards his attackers. It would be invisible until it touched his prey, then before they knew what was happening it would consume them all.  
It was with bitterness that he saw watched the weave race towards the soldiers, he could see them clearly now that saidin was coursing through his veins, like life itself returning. Their leader seemed to be a large yellow haired man at their centre. He looked important. But for the most part they all seemed to be normal people carrying out their orders, stopping anyone form entering the city. Light the city. If the man on the walls saw him destroy the horsemen, would they let him in? They would know he could channel, know that it had to have been him that killed them. Would they want such a person in their city? He didn't want to have to force his way in, no one would talk to him openly if they saw it. That fact that there was a siege at all confirmed his suspicions, these people where not used to people who could channel, in an instant he would turn into an outcast.  
Desperately he channeled flows of spirit at his weave, slicing through the web just before it was about to hit the blond haired man. Turning towards the city he ran, as fast as he legs would carry him, he ran towards to gates. The sound of horses hooves became louder as shouts from the riders spurred the mounts into a gallop. Atop the wall he saw what looked to be bows being readied. If he judged right the horses would catch him well before he came into there range. He looked over his shoulder and saw the horsemen no more than two hundred paces behind and closing the gap with a speed that made his heart sink, they would catch him in a matter of moments, the bows, primitive as though they may, be had a range of around three hundred paces, maybe more from atop the walls and he was sure he was still six hundred paces from the gates. He would never make it. He had to do something, but what?  
Glancing over his shoulder at the horseman riding through the snow an idea came to him, would the pack stop if the leader fell? Channeling discreetly, compressed the ground under the surface in front of the blond haired man, while supporting the snow with flows of air. It looked as though nothing changed. It only took a moment and no one would notice it. He felt more and heard the outcome more than he saw it. As they where intended, the flows of air collapsed as soon as pressure was placed on it from the lead animal, its front legs disappearing deep into the ground. The terrified horses scream filled the air as he continued to plow forward towards his destination. He hoped he hadn't injured the animal or the man but he feared both. They had gotten close enough that he heard the man hitting the ground, heard the grunt, then the snap of bones and the scream of pain that flowed.  
Looking back he saw the blond haired man on the ground not fifty paces away clutching his right arm that hung in at an obviously broken angle. As he had hoped the group of man forgot about him on the instant and shouts of 'My Lord' or 'lord Jervil' came from the man who where frantically trying to stop their horses and turn their mounts towards the blond haired man. After all what was one man entering the city compared to their 'lord' dieing, something niggled at the back of his mind but he couldn't put his finger on it.  
Sighing in relief as much as one could whilst running, he was glad the man was alive; no one should have to die just to stop him entering the city. Then shock took him at what he was hearing. The many shouts of 'are you ok, my lord' where spoken in old Veritism, a language long dead in his time. It was known for its absolute simple format of speech and many had believed that their language had evolved from it as much of their words seemed to be connected to it in some way. The proper way to phrase sentences was less complex and dull then in true Veritism. Little could be done with the language in the way of art and that was why with the evolving culture the language had been all but lost, lost to all except historians. And as an avid reader of histories he had been fascinated by humanity's past and to go as far back into history as he wanted he had had to learn it.  
Hearing it again, the language wasn't exactly old Veritism, it had its own unique flavor, but it was close enough as to make no difference. He wasn't somehow in the past then. Strange it almost seemed as though it had come from true Veritism to some extant. As he came into the range of the bowmen that where now clearly lining the walls to watch him come he glanced back to get one last look to make sure that he was safe. The men where now a good hundred paces away, helping a groaning man back into a saddle that wasn't his. The man's arm still hung at a wrong angle and he clutched his ribs on his right side as if they where broken. The horse was unmoving on the ground; blood covered the snow around its head. Guilt reared throughout his body, but he stamped it down, hard. Things had to be done, if a horse died, well better than a man. It was an especially bitter thought.  
Approaching the gate at a slower pace he was aware of the bowman dispersing back to what seemed to be ordinary posts and duties. The gate itself was of two pieces; two massive wood doors built into the stone and would open inward at the centre in peacetime allowing eight men to walk through abreast with room to spare. In the Gate on the left hand side there was another portal, big enough for a single man to squeeze through with a little difficulty.  
At ten paces form the gate he had begun to think that they would not open, nothing had been said, no shouting off the walls as to who he was, and what his business was, nothing. The fear had begun again that he would have to channel to get in the city and he didn't want to open a gateway into a densely populated city where someone may be injured unnecessarily. At five paces he opened his mouth to shout to be let in only to have the portal open with a crash and a rough sounding voice say in a firm voice, "Enter, quickly now."  
Stepping through the portal he was greeted by a big, heavy man with a completely shaved head who shut the gate as when he was through. He wore a breastplate that had a rearing white lion in its centre and white trimmings on his shoulders with a red tunic underneath and a white cape. His sword hung loosely in its scabbard and his right hand rested upon its hilt, not in a menacing manner, but with the look of a man standing at ease. Smiling he spoke identifying himself as the man that had told him to enter. "Welcome to Caemlyn stranger. You have to be one of the luckiest man I have seen lately, fancy the lords horse hitting a hole like that." He shook his head in a wondering manner and continued, "What brings you to Caemlyn? What need is so great that you would risk a beating from the soldiers outside?" he spat to the side to show what he though of the 'soldiers'.  
"I come to Caemlyn", the words felt odd in his mouth, speaking them was different then reading them, "because I need information and I believe this is one place I can find it. It was worth the risk of the beating," why would they beat someone for just trying to enter a city? It wasn't important to know though, "how is the city? Is the siege taking a large toll on the people?"  
"The city's as well as can be expected, under the circumstances. The succession is taking longer than it should. One I don't understand myself! House Tarkand had Morgase on the throne before she died and now the Daughter-heir has laid her claim, why do the other houses fight to keep her off the throne when she is the rightful heir? Who can know the mind of a lord, uhh?" and with a small grin he added, "Not even the lord himself I'd wager."  
Ethan smiled a small smile, he didn't really understand what had just been said but it sounded as though the man though himself clever, as far as he knew he was. Something he heard troubled him though. The man had said 'throne' as in Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies. Monarchy styles of government had been none existent for centuries, not for the first time he wondered how long he had been in the stasis-box, the language had changed, channeling seemed something at the very least unusual and now a monarchy was functioning fully, creating a war of the succession, one of the many major drawbacks of monarchies. One of the many.  
The guard continued as though his smile was in agreement. "Are the lords and Ladies the same where you come from? Crazy as boars and about as smart?" he paused waiting for a response with one eyebrow quirked, when none was forthcoming he continued, "Where are you from stranger?" he said eyeing his clothes.  
Deciding not to answer truthfully but not with a complete lie, he muttered whilst surveying what he could see of the city. The streets where full of people, hurrying every which way, no chora trees. Where were they? "I'm from the west, far to the west. Can you tell me where I might find someone who might be able to tell me something of the past?"  
Frowning, the man responded whilst looking at the ground, as if thinking to himself. "The past, ahh? Well you might be able to find someone who can tell you about the past at the stag and lion. It's an inn to the north of the city and it's where some of the people who have come for Morgase's school have gathered. If they can't tell you what you want to know they'll be able to tell you who can."  
Thanking the man Ethan moved off into the city towards the north. It was all very, very troubling. Civil war, thousands of people in the city but the man didn't complain of hunger and that would be the first thing out of his mouth if it was present. How a city could be feed at such a time he didn't begin to guess.  
It took the rest of the afternoon to find the Stag and Lion and by the time he got there it was completely dark. Many of the people who he asked for directions to the inn seemed to be foreigners and had as much of an idea as himself or if they knew they where reluctant to give directions and many seemed to be on the verge of saying more than thought better of it. A city without chora trees didn't even rate as true city in his life not three days ago, but now when he mentioned in passing that this city seemed barbaric without them he received an odd look as if he where somewhat deranged. How long had passed that people didn't even know what a chora tree was? The city was large, with no signs to guide the way and masses of humanity the swirled down the streets barely looking were they where going, many just looking directly in front of themselves as if not to offend the people they passed. It was the easiest environment to get lost in and the combination of bad directions and unfamiliar territory led to him completing a walk in five hours that should have taken one. The frustration at getting lost so often should have stopped as soon as he reached the inn but it only turned to anger.  
He stood outside what had once been the doorway to the Stage and Lion, now the charred remains of the inn stood before him, the damaged seemed to have been awhile ago as dust and soot covered the area where the inn had collapsed. Standing on the deserted street his mind couldn't seem to grasp the situation, why had he been directed here, to this pile of rubble? Why had people been afraid to tell him it no longer stood?  
The answer sprung into his head the same instant he moved and it saved his life. The sword that would have taken his head off flowed harmlessly over his rolling body putting its bearer of balance enough that it gave Ethan the time to regain his feet. As he turned to face his assailant a rough voice started laughing softly. "You should have stayed away stranger, you should never have come to Caemlyn. There is nothing for you here or anywhere, the Great Lord of the Grave wants you dead, I'm sure it is you. What took you so long to get here? I've being waiting for hours." When no answer was forthcoming he continued, "Look for an oddly dressed man I was ordered, a man that would be looking for information and would maybe seem to be lucky, a man that the cold didn't bother. You should have stayed away but I thank you, now we get to claim the prize of for killing you." As he said we four more man came into view, dim in the pale moonlight, all with swords drawn and began to surround him.  
Killing normal people was one thing, killing Darkfriends was quiet another. Darkfriends where scum and dissevered to be treated as such. Smiling coldly at the bold haired guard he embraced saidin only letting the sweetness fill him in a small amount he channeled a small flow of air to pull the mans sword from his hands and float it across to his own waiting palms, none of the men looked very competent with the blades they carried and the less he channeled the better five dead bodies where going to cause problems and unwanted questions, if those bodies looked like they died by the power, well Ethan wasn't sure he wanted to know what their reaction would be.  
As if on cue the moment they saw the sword land in his grasp they stiffened as much as their bodies would allow, they knew channeling when they saw it. "There's one problem with Darkfriends apart from forsaking the light, their stupid. Did you ever stop to think there just may be a reason why you where ordered to watch out for me, not watch and then kill? You can't kill me," Saying the words slowing as if to drive home each word like a nail in their coffin, "it would be a waste of breath to who ever is ordering you around to tell you to do so, now wouldn't it?" when the last word left his mouth he lunged towards the guardsman who had no weapon, the words of the Lord of Morning flashing through his head, 'no mercy for the shadow' and no mercy he gave.  
The bold man fell still with a shocked expression on his face, hands clutching at his throat trying to make the blood stay in. Turning he faced the remaining four men who all had almost identical expressions on their faces, worry. The look of wolves who though they where hunting a rabbit only to find it was a lion, wolves that didn't expect to live. Not giving them time to think he rushed at the closest man, catching him by surprise and then the dance began in earnest. Some knew the steps well and others didn't know the dance at all, deadly grace flowed in amongst the group of men who danced to the beat of their swords clashing. First one man fell with his sword arm cut off with his head following. Then a second died, stabbed through the heart when he was to slow to block the oncoming blade. The more that died the quicker it became. The third fell with an unnatural rent across his chest and the forth with a plunging stab into his back as he tried to flee. No mercy for the shadow. He shivered and it had nothing to do with the cold.  
With sword in hand he turned to face the six women standing not ten paces away. Five, he saw, had the face of those that had sworn on the binders for punishment, an ageless face but it was not at them he stared. At their centre was a tall woman who looked in the prime of her life, beautiful amongst almost all company, slightly fleshy but that only seemed to heighten the effect of her curves, well would have anyway had she not been wearing such a reveling gown. Her elaborately curled strawberry-blonde hair framed a beautiful face that held a tight small that didn't reach her dark eyes. Arms folded beneath her breast she regarded him silently. Filth filled his noise and no wonder. Graendal stood calmly ten paces away. Reaching out to saidin he knew what he would find, a shield of saidar blocked him of from the true source. He couldn't help a small smile playing on his lips, they though they had him or he would have been killed already. "Kamarile, so good to see you again how long has it being? Ahh, no matter I thought I was robbed of the chance to see your beautiful face again, I always wanted to see what it would look like dead." Perhaps he shouldn't have taunted one of the forsaken but he couldn't stop himself.  
Rage contorted that beautiful face into ugliness with a snarl she shouted, "My name is Graendal!" There had been something strange, a ...surging inside her when he had called her by name. Having never felt anything like it before he couldn't begin to guess what it was. She continued, "I do wish I had time to make you bow and worship that name, like all my other pretties, but Moridin has commanded your death, it seems you are just to dangerous to leave walking around. You could be turned to the shadow, there are ways," again that surging flared within her though she showed no notice, "but again Moridin has commanded your death. At least now you'll learn the full price of defying the Great Lord of the Dark, as Lews Therin did." The last came out as a shout and all the women that where surrounding her gave of a small little laugh or a tight lipped smile and looked at him as if he where a fool. What did she mean about Lews Therin? He didn't have time to ask. Heads turned at the sound of heavy footfalls coming closer. One of the bounded women murmured, "Guardsmen, great Mistress. They must of heard these fool," indicating the dead men and himself, "having their little fight." Contempt was heavy in her voice, a person who thought herself far superior, and these matters far below herself.  
Death had ordered his death? That made no sense, surely she had misspoken. The women had called her Great Mistress, she's been bound, she can channel. Coolly he faced the forsaken flanked by what must be five Dreadlords, perhaps bound to serve. In the pale moonlight he saw Graendal raze her right hand, distantly he noticed a little gold ring encircling her smallest finger. It was what he felt that that gave him his first doubt, the Goosebumps and shivering that was associated with a woman's channeling had just increased dramatically, they must be in a ring with Graendal at the head. The small smile had returned to her lips, "Time to die, Ethan Qullius." Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight.  
That was what he had been waiting for, her attention to be taken up by her 'killing' weave. Surprise was the key. Desperately he flung himself at the shield, opened himself to saidin through the sa'angreal that rested on his left hand in the shape of five black rings. For a brief moment he though he had made a horrible mistake, the power of the rings had never been judged, never compared to any other sa'angreal, perhaps it wasn't enough. Then the shield bulged and snapped apart, like rags that had been trying to stop an avalanche. The power filled every pore, every crevice of his body, he had never held so much before. Wasting no time on celebrating at the sheer joy of what he was holding, he channeled instinctively.  
Shock had just begun to paint every face before him when the weaves hit their targets. Not even aware of what he was doing until it was over, he tried to make sense of what he had done. The five Dreadlords lay sprawled on the ground in a semi circle surrounding the limp body of Graendal, holes burned through all their chests where their hearts had been, the liquid fire had made clean holes of black hearts. What troubled him most was Graendal, she was alive, shielded and a weave covered her head that made no sense until he though of it. Glad that his subconscious had been had been thinking whilst he had not, this was precisely what was needed or perhaps the pattern had taken a hand. Either way, he would take it. This would enable him to-. He never finished the thought.  
Pain shot out through his body, from the centre of his back, like lightening along his veins. His sword fell from nerveless fingers, hitting the ground, closely followed by his knees. The dagger in his back burned, the burning spread out through his body at an alarming rate. His breathing was heavy in his own ears as he reached over his shoulder to remove the blade. Vaguely his was aware of the sound of footsteps coming closer, like they where running and the sound of someone screaming. Surely that wasn't himself, surely not. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something flash from his left over his head, there was an odd thumping sound and a loud thud as a man dressed in grey hit the ground at his right, an arrow sticking out of his head. A Greyman. The though penetrated the dizziness that had surrounded his head, their blades where always poisoned. His right hand found the hilt of the blade in his back just before he toppled forward into the snow, his head turned to the left, forced to look he saw a group of men running towards where he was. At their head was a woman with a long blonde braid carrying a bow. She seemed to be in charge. For some reason the way she was dressed made him laugh. His last thought before darkness took him was that Teadra would hate that uniform, only this woman looked nothing like Teadra.  
  
*******  
  
Elayne stared down at two of the thirteen people that Birgitte had brought back from her patrol. The only two that where alive.. They lay side by side on the same bed as if sleeping, the Kins woman had not been happy to give up their room which was not far from her own. Sumeko had done her best to heal them. The young man who was surely no older than herself had had a Greymans dagger in his back and had almost died from poisoning. Now tender skin covered the area where the wound had been and Sumeko had done her best to rid him of the poison but said some of it was likely still in him and would require healing at a later date, she seemed to believe that his size had saved him. Looking at him she agreed, tall and tightly bound by muscles from head to foot he had the look of a fit warrior who had been in training for years. The same amount of poison in a smaller, unfit person might have killed than as their body couldn't last as long.  
He was little more than a boy though, with light stubble covering his face in patches, a face that still had a boyishness about it but it was strange how his handsome face had a constant look. A look as if it had seen too much and wanted to shy away from it, even in sleep. He rested now, though Sumeko had said he may not wake for days, may not wake at all.  
He was an Asha'man, surely he was, he had a red and gold tattoo of a dragon on his chest, the dragon. Rand's Dragon. Five of the bodies that Birgitte brought back had had their hearts burned clean through, clearly done with the power. Five Aes Sedai bodies, black Ajah, I must think of them as black Ajah, for that is what they where. Rianna Aundomeran, Chesmal Emry, Temaile Kinderode, Asne Zeramene and Eldrith Jhondar, all women who had fled the tower with Liandrin the night the Black Ajah had attacked the storerooms. They had been killed by this young man, Birgitte had seen it from a distance, liquid fire she called it. She had been unable to explain why the woman was not dead as well. The strawberry-blonde woman, who lay next to him, as if sleeping, was connected to it all. Sumeko said she was fine, nothing was wrong with her at all but she had been unable to explain why she was not awake. Nothing could be done to wake her but she lay still as if peacefully sleeping.  
Anger boiled within her. Why where the Asha'man hunting Black Ajah? Or was the black Ajah hunting him? How had one man managed to kill five sisters? At once? What was an Asha'man doing in Caemlyn? The man was dressed oddly, obliviously the Asha'man's idea of a Disguise. If anyone noticed this man for what he was everyone would believe on the instant that the rumors where true. That Elayne Tarkand was a puppet of the Dragon Reborn. It would be her downfall. Bloody Rand, the wool brained idiot, whatever his orders or intentions where, surely he could see that an Asha'man in Caemlyn would be her undoing. He could ruin everything by being an idiot. But that was the problem with man, they never thought things through. He had no right hunting the Black Ajah, it was Aes Sedai business.  
  
Aviendha would return from the Aeil tents in two days. She couldn't send a message to the Black Tower to come and get their man, for then the knowledge of this man would defiantly get out; it was too big a risk. If the man had not awoken by the time Aviendha returned, she would ask her to go to Rand, and get him to send someone secretly to come to collect his man. And make him firmly understand that no Asha'man was welcome within Caemlyn. She grimaced slightly at the thought. It should have been Andor, but she didn't have the power to enforce that, would she ever? It was a painful question.  
Turning to the guardsmen at the door she gave her orders, "no one is to enter this room without my permission, my express permission. Two men are to guard inside the room and four outside. If one of them wakes I am to be informed immediately," part of the reason they where so close to her room, "no matter what time it is. Am I understood?" for an answer they all bowed to her. With a last glance over her shoulder at the sleeping forms she glided from the room and back to her bed, she had a long day tomorrow.  
  
a/n well I hope you liked it. Starting to get into the swing of things now. Please review, even if you don't like it. Just so I know people are readying it. Thanks for your review Meletyohar, I hope this was up to standard. 


	4. New Ideas

Disclaimer: it has been awhile I know but I still own nothing, I'm actually poorer, stuff cost money god dam it. Rj still owns way too much.

######### change of pov.

Chapter 4. New Ideas.

For the second time in as many days, Ethan Quillus Farvian fought the return of consciousness. He had learned over and over again in the last ten years that waking never brought the joy it seemed to promise the slumbering mind. Struggling against the slow murmuring of thoughts that came out of nowhere just brought a greater awareness to the soul, struggling just seemed to quicken the process of waking. But not to struggle was impossible as sometimes images accompanied strands of incoherent thought. With his minds eye he tried to look away, to ignore what he saw and heard, but invariably he failed. Images flashed in seemingly endless torrents through his mind. He saw cities burning, he saw battles been fought, some he knew would be won, some he knew that had been lost, he saw dead people everywhere in the streets of once great cities, sprawled haphazardly on the ground seemingly at random, some struck down by plague, others by famine and more still by the weapons of their enemy. He saw speeches been made at the hall of the servants by world renown figures, snippets of the impassioned words springing to life in his mind. He could feel anger surge through his body at what was said by some and joy at others. He saw the people in cities that had yet to fall, the people of the city of Paaran Disen, some with hope on there faces as he walked past, many more where etched with defeat. It was this though that caught his conscious minds attention, the horror of walking through the capital city of the light, where almost everyone had stopped believing they would win was replaced by another image, one that would scar him for the rest of his life, it was an image of the ocean, rolling waves cascading haphazardly in seemingly all directions and from somewhere the words floated into his mind, 'Paaran Disen, home to millions'.

Instantly he jerked awake, gasping as he sat bolt upright. Air filled his lungs ruggedly as he tried to control his breathing. Slowly the imaged faded from his mind, replaced with what he was seeing. He found himself looking around a dimly lit room, pale moonlight streamed through the open windows to his left, through which he could see the silhouette of a city. Although he had no idea which city it was, he was sure he had not gone to sleep in this room. "Where in the name of the light am I?" he asked almost silently to the lavishly decorated room. Looking away from the windows he noticed that through the archway there was a sitting room in which two men where standing by the door looking at him intensely as if they did not believe what they where seeing. He could barely make out their features in the dim light but shock clearly painted both. One, an old man with a greying beard, seemed to snap out of it first, turning to his companion he stated firmly, "Aldrin, inform the captain, one of them is awake, and don't forget to mention that he spoke in the old tongue." The younger man nodded dumbly and left the room, instantly a faint murmuring could be heard from the other side of the door.

He was under guard? What had he done? Why was he here? Panic threatened to grip him in it's unrelenting hold so Ethan did the only thing he could think of, he assumed the oneness, instantly the panic seemed to vanish and his mind was surrounded by an unnatural calm, saidin seemed to shine just out of sight but he knew it was a simple act to bring it to him, clenching his left hand he noticed he still had his rings, saidin was a cold comfort in times like this. Something was not right, it was buzzing around in his mind but he couldn't put his finger on it. Wait the guard had said he had spoken in the 'old tongue' and that 'one of them was awake', he now noticed he had been hearing someone breath the entire time, someone else was on the bed. Turning his head to the right to look, he began wondering who it could possib....... his eyes fell on the strawberry blonde that seemed to be sleeping peacefully beside him. His though process shattered, recent memories exploded into his head. The void wavered and eventually cracked like shattering glass, leaving his mind defenceless against onslaught. He remembered it all. Paaran Disen was no more, the world he knew was gone, he was in Caemlyn, he had come seeking information, he had been deceived, he had been stabbed by a Gray man and he had been recovering no doubt whilst sleeping next to one of the FORSAKEN, the person that had probably ordered the Gray man to stab him in the first place and that had tried to kill him as well, but she had underestimated him. It seemed the pattern had a sense of humour.

Shock must have painted his face because the old guardsmen had come forward with a look of concern on his face. "You alright boy?" once he was sure he had Ethan's attention he nodded his head towards Graendal, "Someone you weren't expecting?" He felt like laughing hysterically, does anyone ever expect to wake up next one of the forsaken? Instead he simply nodded his head, answering yes to both questions while he desperately sought to regain his composer. He was certain he was going to need it. Looking over at Graendal he saw that the weave he had placed around her head was still in place, untouched. She would sleep until she died of thirst or starved to death, whatever came first. He noticed the guardsmen was still looming over the bed, looking at him strangely, needing time to think he asked the only question he could think of, "Why am I not dead?, I was stabbed in the back," quickly he reached over his shoulder to feel the wound, and confirming his suspicions all he felt was smooth unbroken skin, "I don't even have a wound!" Who had healed him?

The guardsmen shock his head before he spoke, answering the question the way Ethan though it he would, " Lucky one you where, you where healed by one of those women, not one of the Aei Sedai mind but one of them kin, though I can't see no difference, every women who can channel is Aei Sedai in my book, except them sea folk women, strange people they are, spending their lives one a ship and ............." the man trailed of after having realised he had been rambling. His face turned grim, "though none of us guards can tell why either of you haven't woken up yet, she" he indicated Graendal with his head, "doesn't seem to have a scratch on her yet nothing will wake her and you have seemed to be going through a fever ever since we you where brought here." The man stopped talking but was now staring intently at his chest, clearly staring at his tattoo. "You a friend of the lady Elayne Sedai?"

Aei Sedai, the man had said Aei Sedai. He was healed by a channeler, we still exist, he almost shouted. But the joy was short lived as he realised the man had said nothing about male Aei Sedai. He had purposely said 'one of them women'. Where there no male channeler's left? A by- product of that anomaly? It was a scary thought. Anger surged along his veins, it was rage in its purist form, all the males' dead, the ones that actually didn't sit and wait for the impossible to occur, and the females, the ones that had sided with that Faithful Concord stupidity, where alive and, looking around the room, seemed to live in palaces. "No, I don't know the Lady Elayne." Ethan's eyes returned to Graendal, at least he would be able to exact some small revenge.

The guardsmen shock his head as if he expected different. "Strange, she is very interested in both of your conditions, she herself came to check on you last night and had her healer look at you three times in the past day, and if I'm not mistaken she would have come and checked you again before she went to bed tonight, she's probably on her way here right now", the man turned to look over his shoulder at the door, "and if I'm not mistaken that will be her now, be respectful you hear!" With that the man turned and walked back to his post.

It hit Ethan over the head like a brick what the man had been attempting to do, trying to keep him from leaving by slowly giving him useful, but harmless bits of information. It seems the station of this guard here was no accident. He probably would have seen it sooner had he actually been trying to leave. If he had somewhere to go. At the moment the only thing that was of importance to him was the blonde seemingly sleeping peacefully next to him, the real puzzle that needed to be solved and soon. The one person he knew for sure would know everything he needed to know and more. Much, much more. His attention was caught by the door in the sitting room opening and the guardsmen moving aside. In walked the absolute definition of a 'Lady' that Ethan had read about in the history books. He felt Goosebumps run up and down his arms and fire sprang into being inside the room; cast a blinding light across everything. Quickly his eye's adjusted and he took in the sight before him.

The Lady Elayne was tall for a woman; she had an oval face framed by a mass of red-gold sunburst curls. She also had full red lips and very blue eyes, like sapphires. Straight back, with supple and strong limbs she held herself with an air of superiority, she looked like a women that expected to be obeyed, and generally was. And the green dress she was wearing seemed intended to bring attention to her bosom; though anyone caught staring would undoubtedly be reprimanded. With the flick of her wrist she dismissed the guardsmen, who, after a short bow for Elayne and a glare for Ethan, left quietly, shutting the door behind him. Interesting, this was an Aei Sedai now? How old was she? If this woman had risen to be named Aei Sedai at such an early age she deserved his respect, at the very least he could give her a chance. After all, it was highly unlikely that she was part of that fateful concord now was it? It was a bitter thought. Though he wasn't about to just start trusting her.

As the door shut behind her, Elayne Trakand took in the sight before her. As had been reported the boy was awake, sitting up in the bed with no trouble at all, quite remarkable for someone that should still be dying from poison. Perhaps Sumeko had been wrong but she didn't think so. It seems the Asha'man have been preparing for the shadow a great deal more than they had though. How they did it was a problem for another day. There was an intensity about him that really was quite astounding, it seemed to exude from his green eyes, eyes that reflected the hovering flames she was channelling, eyes that complimented his face in a way she was not expecting. Instead of the arrogance other Asha'man had shown, his was what could only be called confidence, a confidence in his own abilities that in his present situation he shouldn't have had and it scared her. He reminded her of one of the Gaidin, ready to move at a moments notice yet sitting seemingly at peace, the type of movement that this man might be able to achieve could be devastating. Five black sisters, at once! The though made her shiver. He was calmly studying her, for some reason he seemed to be judging every move she made, she was sure he had noticed her shivering and was positive he would remember it for a long time. The tattoo of the dragon above his heart glistened on his chest, in stark contrast the pale skin that covered his muscular frame. Elayne spared a quick glance at the women who, unfortunately, still seemed to be sleeping peacefully, as she had now for a day and a half. She was almost startled when he spoke in greeting.

"My lady", he said followed by bow from his sitting position, " forgive me if a don't get up, I'm still a little dizzy" he finished with a small apologetic smile on his face but other than that his expression didn't change.

"That is quite alright, we weren't expecting you to wake for days yet, perhaps weeks. Master?" she left the question hanging in the air.

"Oh forgive me", he said, though he didn't sound apologetic at all, "my name is Ethan Quillus Farvian". The Intensity in his eyes grew as he said his name studying her reaction, had he expected her to recognise it?

Unsure of herself Elayne continued with the introductions, "Master Farvian, I am Elayne Trakand", if he knew who she was he wasn't impressed he just gave another short bow and said nothing. The icicle of fear within threatened to grow but she wouldn't let it. Deciding the time for formalities was over, if there ever truly was a time, she decided to get to the point. "Master Farvian, although at one time your kinds presence within the city might have been tolerated", she paused to see if he understood, if anything he just seemed a little alarmed, quickly she continued, "now that time has passed. It is dangerous for me to have you or your ......_'brothers' _within the city, to have you in the city not only killing my guardsmen with that', again she paused and pointed at the sword that was propped up against the wall beside his bed, "but killing Aei Sedai with the one power, in the middle of the street where anyone could have seen you is unacceptable". If anything the man now just looked confused.

"They where Darkfriends, My lady, they deserved to die and they attacked me, what would you have me do, not defended myself?" As he mentioned 'they deserved to die' his eyes had flickered, just for an instant, towards the woman next to him. So he included her in the people that should die, did he? That icicle of fear lessened somewhat, he had killed them because they where Darkfriends, not because they where Aei Sedai.

"I had thought as much, the five woman you killed had been named black Ajah already, it is the reason you where healed instead of killed. The guards where Darkfriends as well?" after receiving a slight nod in reply she continued, "the question now then I guess is why the shadow wants you dead, to send five Darkfriends and five........_Dreadlords," _she said the word slowly, it felt strange describing the women as such even though she knew they where, " and her against you, or is she a friend of yours?" she said indicating the women sleeping to his right as she sat in the stool next to the bed. He followed her with his eyes, almost like a caged lion, not sure if its captors are taunting it or giving it a chance of escape. The expression on his face was unreadable.

Tearing his gave away from her own the boy took to studying the woman lying beside him before replying. "No, she is no friend of mine." he answered quietly. Returning his gaze to Elayne he continued, "As for the other question, all I can say is that if the shadow wants me dead so badly, should you not want to keep me alive?"

"Again, why do you think you where healed?" she answered with a tight smile, if this boy could learn to control his features he could almost pass for an Aei Sedai, answering questions, in a way that gave away no information, yet forced her to respond. It was quite frustrating, coming from one so young. It seems this black tower taught its men well.

"For that I thank you, I had not noticed the Gray man." His expression had turned grave, and almost apologetic, wait did he actually believe that he should have been able to notice the Gray man was there before it struck? Gray man had been known to get through hundreds of Gaidin and Aei Sedai and assassinate their targets before they where even noticed.

"There was no way you could have know the Gray man was there," she stated reassuringly, this boy didn't look old enough to be out in the world by himself, let alone old enough to be a target for assassination. He just gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders, so she asked the other questions that had been bugging her, "Who is she," indicating the sleeping blonde, "and why, if she is not a friend is she not dead?" from the look on his face before he replied he had been expecting this question, waiting for it in fact.

He seemed to answer truthfully as far as she could tell, "Her name is Kamarile Maradim Nindar," he said her name slowly as if to gauge her reaction and shock painted his face when there was none. If anything his expression turned to one of bewilderment, realising he had stopped he quickly continued, "And she isn't dead because I have some questions to ask her."

The boy regained his composer quickly, although he still seemed ....... lost, his eyes not focusing on what surrounded him, as if he was looking inward. "When will she wake?"

"When I let her". A simple question followed by a simple answer, though an answer that sent shivers down her spine.

It was time; she decided to get to the problem. "I need you to leave, you been here can have disastrous results for me as I'm sure you can imagine." Somehow he seemed not to understand, it seemed the Asha'man weren't as in touch with her position here as she thought, "You and your friends from the Black Tower been in Caemlyn at the moment would be used by my enemies against me. Your presence could be my downfall. I need you to leave, now."

He studied her for a moment, his eyes had gained in intensity at something she had said but otherwise his face remained passive, all of a sudden he moved, startling her, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, almost as tall as rand she noticed, and as he moved to where his robe lay over the chair she adverted her eyes, but not before she noted he moved with a warders grace. After his robe was in place he turned back to face Elayne. "I am grateful for your assistance and would not want to bring about your.....downfall. We will leave immediately."

"You will take her with you?" she asked shocked.

"Of course, I didn't keep her alive just to leave her behind", he stated calmly as he picked up his sword.

"I see," though she didn't see at all, "I will open a gateway in the woods near the Black Tower for you, about a days walk east of it, unless you want to go directly there yourself?" Opening a gateway any closer with saidar could be dangerous, very dangerous.

He paused to think for a moment, than answered, "Thank You, I don't know this place well enough yet to make a gateway."

Nodding her head, so it's not different for men than it is for women, why did she expect such? "It is the late hours of the night and will be some time before the sun rises, you may want to set up camp where you arrive, I have arranged provisions for you both and you may want to rest before starting out at dawn for the tower grounds." with that she turned towards the door, opening it she motioned the guardsman who had been sent to fetch the provisions inside, who promptly handed them to Ethan then left, closing the door behind him. "There should be enough for the both of you." She had hoped that by the time she got there both of them would be awake.

Ethan nodded then swung the strap of the bag over his shoulder and turned towards Kamarile, "we leave now?" he questioned. In reply she just nodded. With that Ethan moved towards the form of the sleeping woman gathering her in his arms, Elyane had a strong suspicion that that woman wouldn't see the new dawn. A pang of guilt swept through her but she stomped on it, hard. The woman was part of a group of Darkfriends, and in the very least she was one herself. She could live with the blood of one dead Darkfriend on her hands, quiet easily in fact. She needed them gone, questions had already been raised about the dead guardsmen, questions about who was in this room and why. If her rivals for the crown found out about this they would label her the Dragon Reborns puppet, even though they where wrong, she would have no way to fight them and even if this came out but she still took the throne, once she announced Rand as her husband and the farther of her children, which she had no doubt in her mind she would one day do, her reign and that of her daughter would be undermined permanently. She would be know as the Dragons Queen, as it was people would one day see things as such, she didn't need them thinking that the only reason she gained power was her relationship to the Dragon Reborn. Fool man, they needed to stay away, couldn't they see that? Apparently not.

"Master Farvian, I don't know what you where doing in Caemlyn, or what your orders where or even why Darkfriends where chasing you," deniability was important, especially after she took the Three Oaths, "But I need you to take a message to the Black Tower. I tolerate your presence in Andor, but at anytime in the near future whilst the succession is still taking place, Asha'man are not welcome inside the walls of this city. If you need aid do not under any circumstances think that I will give it. You where a special case, you where injured fighting the Black Ajah, whom should have been left to the White Tower, if you have orders to fight these women forget them now. Even taking that into consideration if your attack had been witnessed by the populace of the city I would not have been able to help you, as it is I have some guardsmen who need watching and I have a story planned about who you two really where and why I helped you." Aei Sedai and her warder should be able to explain what the men saw, he killed man with the sword apparently, according to Birgitte it was the work of a bladesmaster, or at the very least someone quite skilled, one man against five she said according to where the dead bodies lay, at once, a warder indeed. The power is not understood by many and the fact that the beams of liquid fire seemed to originate from him can be explained with a little misleading information. The fact that she doesn't have an Aei Sedai face is easily explained away as well, after all Elayne doesn't either and she is Aei Sedai. A neat story but it could have just as easily been different, disastrously different. She shivered at the thought.

"I will deliver your message, the Asha'man will know, Thank you again for the healing, Lady Elayne. Please know that I had no intention of causing you any harm, if I had know I would have stayed away. I hope my presence hasn't had any lasting effects on your chances in the succession." He ended with a small apologetic smile, as if he truly meant what he was saying.

With a small smile of her own she replied, "Thank you too, although I do not approve of you killing them, those women needed to be dealt with. Fare well Ethan Quillus Farvian." With that she turned and drawing deeply on saidar opened a gateway to where she had promised, strange how what was though lost forever was she now thought of as commonplace.

The intense green eyes studied her one last time, "Fare well, Sister." With that he turned and walked through the gateway with the strawberry blonde in his arms. After he was through he turned and nodded once, as silently requested she let the gateway close. When the gateway closed completely she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. He had called her Sister. She thought that if that ever happened she would be offended, but his calling her Sister had seemed more like a title of........ respect. That one word seemed to have more emotion and value behind it coming from him then an entire day of people bowing and calling her 'Lady'. She must admit she had a grudging respect for him as well. Not once was he arrogant, not once was he rude, not once did he seem like any of the other Asha'man she had meant, Rand had said not to trust any Asha'man except a handful, perhaps he was one of them? She decided that she was going to ask Rand if he was, and if he wasn't was going to ask Rand to talk with him. Knowing Rand that man was the type that he had in mind when he founded the Black Tower, a man that could modestly live up to his expectations. It was then that a pang of sadness hit her, he was only little more than a boy, though he was mature beyond his years, a boy that was most likely to die a horrible death and go mad, if he didn't die on the battle field. It was the first time Elayne felt sadness for a man who could channel besides Rand, sleep would be a long time in coming once she had returned to her rooms, she wondered how many others there where at the Black Tower like him, doomed from the beginning to lose no matter if they won but yet still they learned and fought. The question that troubled her the most was, if the positions had been reversed would she have chosen to channel knowing she would go mad and die, to fight the shadow, when she didn't have to?

Ethan turned from looking at where the gateway had once been, a ......... intriguing woman. She seemed to have done her best under the circumstances and when it seemed that the world held no love for man who could channel and the.....Asha'man, she aided him as best she could. And she risked not becoming Queen to do so. A noteworthy act no matter which way you looked at it. She resisted the temptation to extract as much information as she could from him but instead provided him with what he needed, even though she didn't know what she was doing he was still grateful. At first she acted exactly as he though a lady would, looking down at him along her nose, but after a while she relaxed and just seemed to want to help him leave, something that he needed to do in the first place. She seemed to forget that he was below her, and had started acting as if he was an equal, from what he had read of Lords and Ladies that where in power in Monarchies, this was no easy feat for them. One thing from their meeting disturbed him greatly, how much time had passed for someone who would be as well educated as a Lady and a woman who was an Aei Sedai to not know that Kamarile Maradim Nindar was Graendal? The thought made him shiver. At least now he had a destination. Just one problem remained. He still held one of the Forsaken in his arms. But first he needed to set up camp.

As quickly as only a skilled man can, Ethan set up camp, after all he had done it a thousand times over the last ten years of his life, countless nights under the stars, waiting for the next battle, sleeping with the soldiers to boost morale. Soon he had a fire burning in a small clearing in the woods, he had found bedrolls in his the sack and he now sat on one whilst Graendal slept on another. The provisions provided had been adequate to say the least, most seemed to have come form the palace kitchens. He sat studying Graendal. The Horrors that this women had committed that he could name of the top of his head where unthinkable, the ones no one knew about where most probably worse. Enslavement of thousands for the purpose of sexual playthings, the murder of children because it was a kindness as she saw it, the thousands she ordered fed to the Trolloc's, the millions that had died indirectly by the riots she had incited, the hundreds of prominent people who had gone missing only to return and somewhat later would be found to be secretly working for the shadow, it was found that their minds where almost completely gone, compulsion surely at work and Graendal was one of the best at compulsion ever known. He should kill her then and there, not even wake her up, but something was stopping him.

He felt something wasn't right and he trusted his instincts. Something was wrong, it should be a clear cut execution, he didn't even need her for information anymore, he would find everything he needed to know at this Black Tower he was sure, even the answer to the scariest one of all, how does no one remember her name but she walks openly in the streets of cities? She was taking orders from someone; the shadow was regrouping, or had been for centuries. But there was something not quite right about this woman, for some reason it felt wrong to kill her, he felt as if he was missing something. For what seemed like the hundredth time her went over again what he knew about her, before the bore was drilled she was a world famous figure, she was brilliant at treating people with disturbed minds - the best at brain manipulations - being honoured for her work but she wasn't liked by those who knew her well, she expectations of others and her own ideals, she had believed that everyone should live a simply life, material possession where not important, the problem was that those that could not live up to her expectations she treated harshly. Ten years after the bore was drilled she became the complete opposite of what she had been, with a total fixation on sexuality and sensuality. Within 25 years of the Collapse beginning, she was the second person to commit to the Shadow. The day she announced her allegiance, the War of Power began. It was then that it struck him, the puzzle that was Graendal fell into place and he was shocked to his core. "Oh, dear Creator how?" he whispered, but he knew.

How had they not seen it before, how did they know that she was the second to swear to the dark one? How could they be sure that this is correct? They had taken what the shadow had told them and ate it as fact, she was a world famous figure, and all of a sudden ten years after the bore is drilled she changes overnight? Overnight she becomes what she has hated for so long? When she declared the war began, when she declared millions lost hope, after all if she could follow the shadow who else does?

Quickly he crossed the space separating him from Graendal, he knew what he would find, he just had to be sure. He wove the weaves of healing around her head, careful not to disrupt what he had already put there, and searched. It was where he though it would be though he would never have noticed had he not been looking for it, and it was like nothing he had ever imagined. Wrapped tightly around the part of the brain that separates those that can channel from those that cannot was a thin cord, so tiny that his weaves could barely detect it. It had tentacles reaching of it in all directions some out into the brain and others straight into her connection to saidar from which it seemed to be feeding; it was obvious that this was the connection that gave it its strength. Repulsed he withdrew his weaves and sat back.

If for instance Graendal wasn't the second to go to the shadow as we had all thought what then. 15 years later millions of Trollocs and Myrddraal spring from nowhere, if Aginor had already sworn and started his research, which seems highly likely, and if Semirhage had already sworn and had already developed the method of turning anyone to the shadow using thirteen Dreadlords and thirteen Myrddraal, who is your perfect candidate to be turned? Kamarile Maradim Nindar. She is a world famous figure; she declares then the war of power starts, her interior personality changes overnight into something she would despise, as if whatever is controlling her is torturing her. She is immensely strong in the power. She gave the shadow something they didn't have but desperately needed; her understanding of the nature of humanity, from which her enormous understanding of compulsion stemmed. How had they not seen it before? Everything Graendal had done, was the horrible polar opposite too what Kamarile would have done. But he knew, they where blinded by fear. "Oh dear creator, how long has she been tortured inside her own head?" He remembered the surging he had felt when he said her name, she had been trying to tell him something.

Embracing saidin through the sa'angreal on his left hand he knew what he had to do. Ever so gently he placed his hands on either side of her head and closed his eyes. Instantly he felt his weaves make contact with the vileness that had infiltrated her brain, as with every weave there was a way to undo this one, he just had to find it.

A/n: You didn't think I was going to leave poor old Ethan all along did you? Shame on you. How many people saw that Elaida's foretelling was about two people, show of hands?? Anyway hoped you liked it.


End file.
